The best movie locations in France

Antibes, photo by David Baron

If there’s a flick that you really like, then you’ve probably found yourself wanting to visit some of the places that you can see on the screen, knowing that the movie was filmed there. Visiting movie locations is not unusual at all, especially if we’re talking about blockbusters, and France is a pretty good place to go if you’re ‘hunting’ for movie filming locations. France’s natural scenery and romantic cities have been the setting for many films, both blockbusters and indie movies. In any case, if you want to visit the best movie locations in France, there are quite a few places you can choose from.

Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes

photo by David Baron

As one of the most exciting resort towns on the French Riviera, of course that Antibes was used as a filming location several times so far. Possibly the most famous ‘appearance’ of the town is in Diamonds are Forever, the James Bond movie starring Sean Connery and Jill St. John, released in 1971. The town is surrounded by distinctive ramparts and it has lots of historical attractions, but it’s the lovely beaches that make it such a popular tourist attraction on the Cote d’Azur.

Dordogne

The astounding natural beauty of the Dordogne region made it a perfect choice for the filming of the movie retelling of Cinderella’s story, starring Drew Barrymore and Dougray Scott. Since the film is set in the 16th century, lots of castles were used to recreate the historical flavor of the times. Some of the chateaus featured in the film are Château de Hautefort, Château de Fénélon and the Château de Losse.

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Côte-d’Or department

photo by Elin B

This picturesque commune in Burgundy was the filming location for the small town of Lansquenet in the movie Chocolat, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Although the film itself is not French, it has a very charmingly French flavor, and Flavigny looks strikingly similar to its movie counterpart.

Gordes, Provence

The film A Good Year, starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard tells the story of a British businessman moving to the French countryside, and the film is as much about eyecandy as about the characters. The beautiful Provence countryside looks better than ever in the film (but it’s even more amazing in reality), and the village of Gordes, where many of the scenes were shot, looks just as good in real life as on the screen.

Paris

More movies have been filmed in Paris than you can count, and the iconic Eiffel Tower, Louvre, or Champs Elysees have been featured many times on the silver screen, and not only in French movies. For one especially scenic movie location, visit Montmartre, where Amelie was filmed, and where you can see not only the sites of many outdoor shots, but also the cafe where the heroine worked.